The bench comprising Justices Muzaffar Hussain Attar, Ali Muhammad Magrey and Tashi Rabstan, which virtually restored status quo ante, had been asked by the Supreme Court on October 5 to resolve the beef ban issue as division benches of the HC -- one in Srinagar and another in Jammu -- had differed over the matter, after which the state government had moved the apex court.
The court also disposed of the petition, challenging the September 9 order of the Jammu bench asking the state police to "strictly enforce" the existing laws (sections 298 A to D of the J&K Ranbir Penal Code) regulating ban on bovine slaughter and beef sale in the state.
A detailed order is likely to be issued later in the day.
The bench was constituted after the Supreme Court kept in abeyance for two months the order of a division bench of the state high court passed on September 9, directing the police authorities to enforce the more than century-old beef ban in the state.
However, a week later, another division bench of the court in Srinagar, while admitting a writ petition challenging the constitutional validity of the penal sections regulating ban on bovine slaughter and beef sale, had issued notices to the state government directing it to file a response within one week.
The state government approached the Supreme Court against the two orders of the high court.